I love to take a quick glance to see what stars are in my field of vision at night. Since I get up to use the bathroom about every 2 hrs., I see a lot of stars and movement of those stars. My bed is directly under a south facing window, so before I get back into bed I always take a look at the southern and eastern skies. And yes, I'm very fortunate to be back to sleep a few seconds after my head hits the pillow!
Orion the Hunter is probably the most familiar constellation to me, and the easiest to identify. I've noticed lately that many more stars in this constellation are visible than I have ever seen before in the United States; usually I can identify the 3 stars of Orion's belt, and maybe a few others. Now I can make out his entire form and I get a thrill everytime I look at the night sky. He usually lies in an east-west orientation, so imagine my surprise when in the early hours this morning I first had trouble spotting him - he was in a north-south orientation.
At one time I used a very nice telescope as well as binoculars, but now because of my eyesight I just see what I can see with the naked eye. I'd like to know if there are stargazers out there who can tell me why I would see Orion with his head to the south, when it is normally to the east. Is this a fluke? Am I imagining it? And if it is true, then what is going on in the night skies, or should I say what is going on with the earth?
If anyone else has to get up at night like I do, I recommend looking out a window to the south and see if you can spot Orion (after 2am). Maybe you have buildings, trees, or such blocking your view, and that's a shame. I cannot see anything to the west because of the trees in my way, as well as more light pollution (from downtown Sacramento, no doubt). I have a pair of binoculars on my bedside table - maybe I'll look through them during the night and see if they help.
I'd love to hear from other stargazers, especially those in locations other than the U.S. What do you see in your night and early morning skies?
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The past few nights have been clear and I have been drawn to the stars. I am up at midnight and again at 3 a.m. and will go out to our closed in porch and look up at the sky. The stars make me smile.
ReplyDeleteWe live far from most of the light pollution which helps. My vision is poor, but I enjoy the "sparkles."
So glad you are back. Missed you.
The skies look so peaceful and I love looking at them. I used to be able to identify many objects in the night sky, but now I'm just content to enjoy their beauty.
DeleteYour post tonight and my post tonight have a lot in common. Both our thoughts have been drawn towards the night sky. As for Orion, he will be further up into the southern sky at 4 a.m. than he was at 2 a.m. Might want to check your clock to see where he is on his nightly journey from east to west.
ReplyDeleteI'm up between 1 and 2 hours all during the night, so I can watch his progress. Last night it seemed he took a quarter of a turn. I'll look more closely tonight.
DeleteI have loved loking at the stars all my life. Learning celestial navigation took some of the mystery out of the process, but I still look up to the stars when the sky is clear.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised I can see as many stars as I do. I think the street lights must be blocked on the upper portion so the light pollution isn't so bad. I look up the names of the bright stars in the night sky, but by the time I look at them in the early morning I've forgotten which is which so I just admire them.
DeleteI have a large telescope that is taller than I am and has a 16 inch reflector mirror. I can zoom in on the beautiful stars on the sword. The night sky is oh so beautiful and full of wonders.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will post a photo of your telescope on your blog. I'd love to see it. Looking at the sky for a few minutes during the night is becoming a cherished routine for me.
ReplyDeleteI seem lately to always be in a place that has too much ambient light for me to see the stars. Also if I get up and walk outside when I wake up at night, I can never go back to sleep. I think it's great that your eye sight allows you to see them.
ReplyDeleteI think if I walked outside I would wake completely up. As it is, my bed is under a very large window, and every time I come back from the bathroom I stand and look at the stars for a minute or so. I usually go to sleep as soon as I get back into bed. From my window I have a perfect view of the southern & eastern skies. I don't think I could see much of anything in the other directions even outdoors, because of the trees & buildings in the way.
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